SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Coach Marcelo Lippi happy with Italy's performance in their opening match against Paraguay

Record ID: 454784

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Coach Marcelo Lippi happy with Italy's performance in their opening match against Paraguay
  • Date: 16th June 2010
  • Summary: IRENE, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 15, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MARCELO LIPPI, ITALIAN COACH IN PRESS CONFERENCE WITH ITALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN COACH MARCELO LIPPI SAYING: "I have not seen a great team come into a World Cup and play at a hundred percent straight away. I have never seen it in a World Cup. The conviction is the best approach to each match, obviously with regard to results." VARIOUS OF MEDIA LISTENING TO ITALIAN COACH (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN COACH MARCELO LIPPI SAYING: "The team that had impressed me the most for athleticism and organisation that I liked the most is South Korea even if they didn't play against the best opponents. Japan played the game against Cameroon and they created chances." VARIOUS OF ITALIAN COACH, MARCELO LIPPI FINISHING THE PRESS CONFERENCE OFFICIAL ITALIAN SOCCER LOGO ON THE WALL
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAVVU70LCYPTWIO1W9M4LIOSI4
  • Story Text: Italy have reverted to type with cautious coach Marcello Lippi content with an uninspiring 1-1 draw against Paraguay and stating that organised South Korea have impressed him most so far.
    Despite being world champions and showing an unusual urgency late on to try to win Monday's (June 14) Group F opener in Cape Town, Lippi is sticking to the Italian way where all that matters is sneaking into the knockout stages and not peaking too early.
    "I've not seen a great team come to the World Cup and play at 100 percent straight away," Lippi told a news conference on Tuesday (June 15) back at their base in Irene near Pretoria.
    Having a well-drilled unit is more important than being especially flowing, with South Korea's 2-0 win over Greece and Japan's 1-0 victory over Cameroon enthusing Lippi as much as Germany's 4-0 thrashing of Australia.
    "For organisation, I liked South Korea best even if they did not play against a top opponent," he said. "Japan played the game against Cameroon and they created chances."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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